Peanut Butter Cake & Caramel Mascarpone Whip with Candied Peanuts Parfait

 

I made this with leftovers...can you believe it?  Needing some inspiration for my next creation, I turned to my pantry to see what I had to work with.  I always do this whenever I'm stumped on what to make next.  It's a great place to start unless you're living like a bachelor with half a jar of pimento olives and a highly questionable cucumber in your fridge...then you better just go shopping.  Or call your mother.  Let her cook for you.

 

So I had half a peanut butter loaf in the freezer (the other half was used in a similar trifle recipe for a magazine shoot, will share that beauty with you as soon as it's published!) and a jar of caramel sauce in the pantry.  Another 'I-am-starving-forget-groceries-let's-buy-jarred-caramel' purchase.  And I don't even like jarred caramel.  It's almost always just okay...like getting a C- on a test.  You know, you passed, but it's nothing to celebrate about.  Same with jarred caramel.  Anyway I had it, let's use it.  However I highly suggest to just make your own at least once in your life.  I cannot begin to tell you the inner happiness you will feel after a successful batch of homemade caramel.  However, don't worry, I almost always screw up the first batch and end up making two.  It will burn on you in a second.  Making caramel is a dedicated process.  There are no potty breaks.  No Pinterest pinning, no blinking, no nothing.  Just lots of sugar babysitting.  But its sooooo worth it.  If you need some help to get started, check out my link on caramel here.

 

And my new favorite trick for 2014...mascarpone whip.  It's as simple as can be and even easier than making whipped cream.  Think of it as a blank canvas that can easily incorporate a multitude of flavors.  Caramel, dark chocolate, honey, vanilla, peppermint...really anything that works with your recipe.  And cha-ching!  It's fooooool proof. 

 

Peanut Butter Cake & Caramel Mascarpone Whip with Candied Peanuts Parfait

Ingredients

makes 4 servings using approx. 9.5 ounce glasses, each

printable version 

 

*You will only need half of the cake for the recipe, depending on the size of your glasses.

 

For the Peanut Butter Cake:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup smooth peanut butter

¼ cup canola oil

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

¾ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla 

 

For the Candied Peanuts:

2 cups raw peanuts

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

Sea salt

 

For the Mascarpone Whip:

8 ounces mascarpone

¾ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup caramel sauce

 

1/2-3/4 cup caramel sauce (depending on how intense you want the sweetness) I used Bonne Maman

 

Directions 

 

***apologies for not including photographs of the cake preparation.  This is something I typically include with every single post but this cake was make ahead of time...regardless it's super easy to throw together!

 

To prepare the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan; set aside. 

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In the bowl of a stand up mixer, combine the peanut butter, oil, and sugar.  Mix until combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Add the milk and vanilla and mix until well combined.   

 

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Do not over mix.  

 

Bake for 55-60 minutes.  If the loaf is browning too quickly, cover top with aluminum foil and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove loaf from tin and cool completely on wire rack.  Once cooled, take about half of the cake and cut in into ½ inch cubes.   

 

To prepare the candied peanuts, add peanuts, sugar, and water to a wide heavy duty skillet.  Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently until the liquids seizes up (about 5 minutes).

 

 

The sugar will start to crystallize on the peanuts, looking a bit crusty.  Lower the heat and scrape down the bottom of the pan once the sugar starts to melt and become syrupy.  Make sure to coat the peanuts well at this point.    If the pan starts to smoke, remove from heat and keep stirring.  Be sure to keep stirring the peanuts so they will be thoroughly coated with the sugar syrup. 

 

 

 

 

Sugar will start to caramelize and the peanuts will be become golden in color.  Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and remove from heat. Place peanuts on a cookie sheet or mat to cool. *Peanuts can be made days ahead of time and store in an air-tight container for up to 7 days.

 

 

Just prior to assembly, prepare the caramel mascarpone whip.  Add the mascarpone and heavy cream to the bowl of a stand up mixer.  Beat on high until soft peaks form.  Add the vanilla, sugar, and caramel and continue to beat until the mixture thickens.  

 

 

 

 

 

To assemble, place 4-5 large cubes of cake in the bottom of the serving glass.

 

 

 

 *Sorry again!  Something happened with my camera and I lost the last couple photos.  I certainly hope it had nothing to do with the big blog of caramel that I 'drizzled' it with.

 

Top cake with a layer of the caramel sauce, making sure it reaches the sides of the glass so it will be noticeable throughout the layers. Next add a layer of the caramel mascarpone using the back of a spoon to create an even layer.  Continue with a layer of candied peanuts, cake, caramel, and another large dollop of the mascarpone whip.  

 

Cover glasses with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Garnish with chopped candied peanuts and serve immediately.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

candied peanut recipe from David Lebovitz



Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Mousse, Peanut Butter glaze, AND Peanut Butter Whipped Cream

There are certain recipes I come up with that are just damn good.  Not to tooty-toot-toot my own horn, but you know, they’re just good.  Some are flops.  Big ole buttery flops that go plop in the trash.  It happens.  But now and then my sugar-coated brain conjures up desserts that are like ‘oh my God let’s put on stretchy pants and dig in’ good.  And I swear on my Kitchen Aid, this trifle is one of them.

See I had a handful of peanut butter cups left over from Christmas and I thought…I should bake with these.  Yeh, the whole handful.  Anyway, it was just an excuse to do something with chocolate and peanut butter.   But let’s face it, the whole chocolate cake with peanut butter combo has been done again and again.  Don’t get me wrong it’s one of my favorite pairings, but it was time to update the classic.

And if you’re new to trifles and/or not a super wiz in the kitchen, then layering up a trifle is SO for you.  Let me tell you why.  First, trifles are pretty much fool proof.  It’s almost impossible to mess up a trifle.  Spoon, layer, spoon, layer, sprinkle.  It’s easy.  Even if it’s slightly uneven it doesn’t matter, just turn that side to the back.  Second, all the components can be made ahead of time so there is no rushing.  Sometimes I bake the cake one day and prepare the fillings the next.  The day before I’m ready to serve I assemble everything and let it sit over night to let the flavors get happy and marinate.

And the chocolate mousse in this recipe…how can I describe it?  It’s like an edible version of a big, fat, flawless princess cut diamond ring.  You know a woman’s best friend that you can eat.  Well that’s kind of odd, but you get where I’m going.  It is just the best damn mousse I’ve ever had.  Nothing fancy pants here, it’s made with mini marshmallows (once melted they provide the gelatin to hold the mousse together).   My favorite part about the recipe is that it doesn’t call for eggs.  I’m not a fan of adding eggs to custards/puddings (although sometimes it is a necessity).  I’m always paranoid I didn’t heat it high enough and will give my friends salmonella poisoning.  So mini marshmallows it is.  And it’s a Nigella recipe (sex-pot-crack-head, who knew!) can’t go wrong there.

Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Mousse, Peanut Butter glaze, AND Peanut Butter Whipped Cream

Printable version

Ingredients

 

For the cake:

2 cups all purose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs (or 3 medium)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 ounces unsalted butter

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup boiling water

1 ½ cups Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, quartered 

For the Peanut Butter Glaze:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt 

For the chocolate mousse:

1 ½ cups mini marshmallows

2 ounces unsalted butter

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids) chopped into small pieces (I used a mix of Hershey’s Milk and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and it was totally fine, don’t spend a fortune on chocolate here)

¼ cup hot water

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla  

For the Peanut Butter Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 heaping tablespoon creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 tablespoons caster sugar 

12 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for garnish, chopped (I used the regular size, not mini…but either will do)  

Directions

*my recommendation is the following:  first bake the cake.  This can be done days ahead of time.  Simply cut into squares and store in an air-tight container until ready to assemble.  The mousse can be made the same day at the cake (also kept in an air-tight container or a bowl covered with plastic wrap).  The day you’re ready to assemble the trifle, prepare the glaze and whipped cream.  However, keep in mind the trifle needs to sit over night before serving so the flavors can blend together and get happy.  Please don’t skip this step, it makes all the difference. 

For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 

Grease a jelly roll pan or sheet pan with butter or vegetable shortening.  I use a sandwich baggie as a glove to make this step easy.  

 

 

In a large bowl, sift the flour.  Add the sugars and salt.  Whisk to combine and set aside.

 

 

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla.  Set aside.

 

 

In a medium saucepan, melt together the butter and peanut butter.  Add the hot water and mix to combine.  Remove from heat.

 

 
 

 

Pour the peanut butter mixture over the flour/sugar mixture and stir until halfway combined. 

 

 

Pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir until just combined, but don’t over mix.

 

 

Gently fold in chopped Peanut Butter Cups.

 

 
Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool completely on wire rack.
 

 

For the mousse, place the marshmallows, butter, chocolate, and water in a medium sized heavy saucepan.

 

 

 

 

Melt over medium heat, stirring often until smooth and no lumps remain.  Remove from heat and let cool to almost room temperature (bowl can be placed in the fridge/freezer to speed this step up).

 

Once the chocolate mixture has cooled down, whip the cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

 

 

 

Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.  DO NOT STIR!  You must fold it otherwise you will lose the air you have just incorporated into the cream.  If you find you are left with lumps of cream, gently break them with the tip of your spatula in a zig-zag motion.  Don’t worry if they don’t totally disappear, it won’t even be noticeable once the mousse is added to the trifle. 

 

 

Tightly wrap the mousse with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble.

 

 

To prepare the glaze, combine the sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter, and salt in a small saucepan.  Heat until the peanut butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Set aside.

 

 

 

 

To prepare the trifle, place large squares of cake on the bottom of your dish, compacting down with the back of a spoon (or your fingers) to get a thick, some-what dense layer. 

 

 

Next layer HALF of the peanut butter glaze over the cake using a spatula to help spread evenly.  If you find it’s too thick to spread, microwave for about 20 second or until it’s more fluid.  Refrigerate dish until the glaze layer has firmed up, about half an hour (this step helps to keep nice, even layers.  Otherwise the weight of the layers above will make them sink together).

 

 

Remove dish from the fridge and spoon entire bowl of chocolate mousse over the peanut butter glaze.

 

 

Add another thick layer of cake to cover the chocolate mousse, gently pressing down to compress.  However don’t push too hard you don’t want the cake to sink into the mousse.

 

 

Pour the remaining peanut butter glaze over the cake, re-heating if it’s gotten too thick.  Cover dish with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.

 

 

Meanwhile, prepare the peanut butter whipped cream.  Place the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand up mixer (hand mixer ok) and beat on high until soft peaks form.  Turn off mixer and add the vanilla, sugar, and peanut butter.  Beat on high until stiff peaks form.  Be sure not to over beat or the mixture will separate (due to all the extra fat from the peanut butter).   

 

 

 

Remove dish from fridge and spoon the whipped cream onto the center and spread out evenly.  I left a small gap from the whipped cream to the edge of the bowl to place the chopped Peanut Butter Cups for garnish.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Cake recipe adapted from The PioneerWoman

Mousse recipe courtesy of Nigella Express

Hummingbird Cake & Vanilla Cream Cheese Pudding Trifle

If you've never heard of Hummingbird Cake, don't worry I hadn't either.  The best way to describe one is a fusion between a banana and carrot cake (minus the carrots).   Hummingbird cake is almost always frosted with cream cheese icing and flavored with pineapple bits, cinnamon/nutmeg, bananas, and pecans.  Win-win all around.  Add 4 eggs and we're talkin' flavor city.

This trifle was prepared especially for my Dad's birthday.  This was the first time I had been home in nearly 6 years to celebrate the occasion, so something massive was in order.  And since trifle's and I are BFF's these days, I figured my Dad would probably love them too. 

Just a bit about trifle's if you've never made one.  First, a trifle is almost always fool-proof.  Anyone can make a trifle look good, even if you are a hot mess in the kitchen.  Just pick a base (a cake or brownie), pick a filling (pudding, cool whip, frosting, whipped cream) and then layer in between a crunchy texture (candy, nuts, cookies).  As long as your layers are somewhat even, your trifle will be just dandy, promise.

And since frosting a cake is my least favorite task, I tend to make trifles instead whenever I can.  In my opinion trifles pack WAY more flavor and texture than any ole' ho-hum cake.  You can literally layer-in any cookie, candy, fruit, chopped nut, ANYTHING!  Seriously the combinations are endless.  It's a great way to get creative during the holidays too...for example, you can use my Oh-Ho-Ho Now that's a Christmas Trifle recipe for ANY holiday, just use different food colorings and candy combinations depending on the holiday - genius, I know.

Hummingbird Cake & Vanilla Cream Cheese Pudding Trifle
printable version

Ingredients

For the Cake:
3 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 very ripe large bananas, mashed
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

For the Pudding:
1 and a half tubs (8 ounce each) Cool Whip - 12 ounces total
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups milk
1 (4 to 5 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding (very important to buy instant only!)

1/4 cup Malibu Rum
10-15 Keebler's brand Sandies Pecan Shortbread Cookies, crumbled
1 bag Hershey's HEATH Milk Chocolate English Toffee Bits

Remaining half tub of cool whip (left over from pudding), for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a 9x13 inch cake pan.  I use a sandwich baggie as a glove to make this step easy:

 

Dust with flour and knock out excess.  Set aside.

 

Sift together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

 

Whisk to combine.

 

I typically use a potato masher for my bananas:

 

In a large bowl combine the bananas, sugar, oil, pineapple, beaten eggs, and vanilla. 

 

Gradually fold in the dry ingredients in 3 additions.

 

Just before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, fold in the pecans to combine.

 

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top springs back when gently pressed with your finger tips.

 

 

Allow cake to fully cool on a wire rack.

 

*Note: Although I didn't do this step with my trifle, I would HIGHLY recommend to brush the cake with the Malibu Rum once it's cool.  I found the finished cake needed a kick and I think the rum would have done the trick.  Just be sure to poke the cake all over with a fork before brushing on the rum.  This step ensures the alcohol will be fully absorbed into the cake.  Also, do not remove cake from pan as it helps to keep the moisture in.  Place cake in the fridge for at least 2 hours prior to assembling the trifle to allow the rum to penetrate.

 

Once the cake has cooled (and marinated if using the rum), prepare the pudding.  In a medium bowl whisk together the milk and pudding mix.  Be sure to beat well to dissolve the powder.

 

In a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth and no lumps remain (it's important to use room temperature cream cheese to avoid any lumps). 

 

 

Fold in the Cool Whip.

 

Fold in the pudding mixture (which should be slightly thickened by now).  Combine until no streaks remain.  Do not over-mix.

 

To assemble the trifle, place a layer of crumbled cake in the bottom of your trifle dish (crumble with your hands).  *Note: I cut off the edges of the cake as they were a bit tougher than the center, thus making it more difficult to crumble.  

 

Crumble about 4-5 cookies on top of the cake layer:

 

Sprinkle approx. 1/4 cup of the HEATH Toffee Bits over the cookies:

 

Spread HALF of the pudding mixture over the toffee.  Use the back of a spoon to smooth it out.

 

Follow with another layer of cake, cookies, toffee, and remaining pudding.

 

Top with the remaining Cool Whip (I leave a small border so the pudding shows under the Cool Whip) and top with the remaining toffee bits and a full cookie as garnish.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

cake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

pudding recipe adapted from Paula Deen